Looking For Info On Mccook (Omaha, Lincoln: for sale, new home, job transfer)

[dgood]

Possible move to McCook, NE
would appreciate any info.
Thank you!

[kosnebbear]

Why are you wanting to move to McCook? It is about at the end of the world.

[dgood]

It would be a job transfer for my husband, we are on the southeast plains of CO, I thought that to be about the end of the world

[kosnebbear]

Well I once lived about 45 miles east of McCook, but went there a lot. So I can answer some of your questions. Just ask me what you want to know about McCook.

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by dgood

It would be a job transfer for my husband, we are on the southeast plains of CO, I thought that to be about the end of the world

Someone from a metropolitan area would probably have a hard time adjusting to life in McCook. But if you've experienced living in a small town on the "high plains", then you know what rural life is like.

Personally I always liked McCook. The town sits along a river so it's a little more hilly and has more trees than some of the other towns in SE Nebraska. There's some nice homes there and the downtown businesses really got a boost a few years ago from the "Main Street" program. I know they were hit hard when SuperWal-Mart came in, but last time I was there (about 3 or 4 years ago) the downtown area had alot of activity. Hope that's still the way it is.

My only recommendation if you move there - buy bottled water. Nitrates were really high in the water there, and I knew several people that developed cancer and the talk was that it was linked to the water. Keep in mind that was a few years ago and they may have improved things, but I'd still be on the safe side and not drink the tap water.

[kosnebbear]

Gretchen must have been gone for more than a few years in speaking about the water. Yes there was a problem with nitrates in the water, but they have cleaned it up the water is safe. Most of the nitrates and other water problems came from the old feed lot/meat packing plant that was on the west side of town. It was also in the water basin where McCook got most of it's water. They have gotten new wells and water lines into McCook now that come from the north. The also are required by State Regulation to have their water test about every week to make sure that it is safe. If the water is a possible concern then when you find a home in McCook that you like and it does not have a water filtering system in it then you can always have one put in.

Also it would depend on where you find your home in the McCook area some places you could sit on the porch and see the edge of the world, but it is a very nice view mainly in the evening time when the sun is sitting and you get to see some of very beautiful sunsets.

If you go east out of McCook about 10 miles or so on US Hwy 6&34 there is a rather new home that was built there. It is on the north side of the highway on the side of a hill. It is just past a green house and kind of a slavage yard. I am not sure if anyone is living there or not at this time, but people don't stay there for very long. Now they might have been able to get the one major problem of this home fixed or not. When the individual was building the house the contractor who was digging the foundation he hit a den of rattle snakes. The first owners were told not to build there because of the snakes. They did not listen and when ahead, they only lasted about one year in the house because they could not keep the snakes out of the house. They tried everything, but they lost the fight. It has a great view of the valley, but the snakes are a major selling problem. Like I said the problem could have been fixed and someone is living there now. I knew about this when I was living there and the last time I was there the house was for sale again.

[dgood]

Thank you both for the interesting info! If the move happens, which I hope that it does, I think we will stay away from the east part of the town Snakes scare me!!!
What about activities? We are enjoying our empty nest after seven! Like sports, movies, walks, also will be looking for a new church home.
Thanks again!

[kosnebbear]

They have a very fine golf course on the west side of McCook. They have a nice city that you can take walks in as the McCook is only about 8000 people in size. They have a YMCA with indoor pool. If you are into hunting you will love it there as some of the best phesant hunting is in this part of Nebraska. If fishing is what you like you will enjoy the three lakes that are close to McCook. One is Red Willow lake north of McCook then you can go west of McCook to the lake by Trenton which is very clear water as it comes out of Colorado from the snow melt. Then you can travel into snake terrority to Harry Shunk lake close to Cambridge. All three lakes are from 20 to 45 minutes from McCook. All three areas are managed by the State of Nebraska and you need a park permit to go into these areas. The permit does not cost that much and Wal-Mart sales them or you can buy them at the parks themselves. The permit is good for the entire year and all you need is one permit for all of the State Parks so you don't have to worry about buying different permits for the other parks that you might want to visit.

They have a movie complex with I think two or three screens on the west side of town close to the Wal-Mart store it is next to the old Wal-Mart store and I think that they have a movie theater downtown as well.

McCook also has many different types of Churches so it just depends on which Church you go to now. If you tell me which one I can tell you if they have one there and where it is at.

Our nest is about empty after three. Our last one is getting out of HS this year and will be going to school at the University of Nebraska Ag College in Curtis which is about 45 minutes north of McCook. We do have 12 grand children with one on the way and one great grand child so we get to stay busy at times with kids yet.

[dgood]

Hello! Might have to take up golfing and fishing again. It has been awhile. Thanks again for all the info! What do your kids do and do you have them close by?
We are members of First Southern Baptist here, about 200 members.
Our town population here is on a downslide due to lack of jobs and also lack of water for farmers & all ag related jobs.
We have 8 grandchildren with only two here close.
Ours are spread from Tucson, three grandaughters (our son is a border patrol agent)
Laramie, WY is where our oldest daughter & son in law are raising three sons.

Another daughter has one more year of vet school @ CSU, and yet another daughter is a teacher in Greeley, a son in St Louis, he's married to an awesome rural MT girl and the "baby" of our nest is going to school in a suburb of Chicago. So we get to travel to stay up with the kids & see new places.

[kosnebbear]

There is a Souther Baptist Church in McCook. Southern Baptist. It must be a newer Church as I do not remember this church in McCook. The street address in McCook is 1007 W 2ND ST, but this could be the address for the Pastor as the Black Rose Angus Ranch is close to Culbertson Nebraska about 10 minutes west of McCook.

Prairie View Baptist Church
Black Rose Angus Ranch
(308) 345-3060
Gregg Roberts, Lay minister
Sunday -- Worship, 10:30 a.m.; Bible study, 7 p.m

All but two live in Nebraska. Our oldest son is a truck driver in Texas. So when I am in Nebraska with my wife and youngest son most of them are close. Right now they all, including my wife, are about 7000 miles away from me. I work as a International Police Officer for the United Nations and right now I am in the former country called Yugoslavia. In the break away province called Kosovo. You might have heard about it in the news lately we just had another riot here where I am at.

My youngest son is a avid golfer and he is going to play golf at the school where he is going. He has played on the golf course there in McCook already when he was eight years old and he did fairly well for an eight year old. He refused to hit from the women's tee box because he was a boy not a girl. Today he is beating me about every time that we go out. When we play and if there is someone playing alone or with one more person he will invite you to play with him or us. Then he just gets down nasty and goes out to beat yoo. We were playing in Lincoln and there was this player who was on the tenth tee and he had just hit when my son asked if he wanted to join us. He did long enough to see my son hit his drive about 300 yards and then when I out drove him he told us that he had just gotten a call on his cellular that one of his friends was coming and he was going to wait for him. I joked with my son that he must have scared him away with his drive and my son told me that if he did then I must have finished him off with my drive. The funny thing is that neither of us heard his cell phone ring and later on we saw him walking down a fairway alone. Guess he did not want to be beaten by a 14 year old. So if you take up golfing we might meet someday on the golf course. If you both take up fishing well my wife and I go to the lake when we can and we like going out onto the lake in our boat, to fish, in order to get away from everything. We have been to all three lakes in the McCook area so maybe we might meet at one of the lakes someday as well.

Sounds like most of your family is in the midwest to me. So you will be happy to know that McCook has a airport that does have commerical flights. Not expect to be flying on a 747 though as the airport will only handle smaller aircrafts. There is a bigger airport in North Platte as well this is only 1.5 hours north of you going up UN Highway 83. The drive to North Platte is across the wide open prairies of Nebraska and I do mean wide open because outside of a few small villages there is nothing along this highway but open range land. It is a nice drive that you can drive along the edge of the world. All flights will take to to either Omaha, Lincoln, Denver or Cheyenne. McCook also is one of the stops for Amtrak that comes from Chicago going to Denver. There is a small bus service call Dash About that was going through McCook from Denver going Lincoln and maybe Omaha daily, but I do not know if they still have the run as they may have moved it north to the Interstate that goes by North Platte.